1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a safe deposit box for valuables including cash, and, more specifically, to such a safe deposit box including an inner security box that is selectively removable from an outer housing and that remains secure from intrusion until unlocked.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known to provide security boxes for protection of cash received in various environments including retail point of sale, vending and gaming machines, casino operations, and motels. The security boxes receive and hold cash, and then can be carried to a remote location where authorized personnel open the box and remove the cash. To prevent tampering and theft the boxes are sealed upon removal from their stationary cash-receiving positions.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,330 to McKay et al., assigned to Sigma Game, Inc. shows a currency security box that may be employed in gaming machines, bill changers and other machines. An inner box that receives currency may be removed from its housing only after a four-sided, generally open box-shaped cover has been slid over the inner box, sealing access to the cash. The box-shaped cover includes a lock which must be opened to gain access to the money. The intent of the design is to allow the inner box to be transported to authorized persons who have means to unlock the cover, for removing the cash. However, since the lock mechanism for the inner box is easily accessible from the outside before it is removed from it's housing, a thief may use force to break the lock or other more sophisticated means to defeat the lock while it is still combined with its housing. This is a problem because a security box is typically unguarded while in its housing, on the other hand, armed guards may accompany delivery of such boxes to a safe location.
In addition, it is disadvantageous that the mechanism for releasing the inner box is simply the leading edge of the cover that pushes on latches coupling the inner box to the housing. Such a mechanism may be easily defeated by a moderately sophisticated thief, who simply has to wedge a thin object between the housing wall and the nearest inner box wall to release the latch, analogous to the way that simple latch type locks on doors can be opened by wedging a credit card between the door frame and the lock latch to trip the latch. Once the box is removed without the cover its contents are freely available.
Another security box is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,736 to Roccoberton et al., and it is for operation in conjunction with a currency stacker and validation apparatus. The security box includes an open top currency receptacle having a slide-way for receiving a cover adjacent the opening. Further disclosed are means for locking the cover over the receptacle. The disclosed device is designed to work with a compatible currency validation apparatus such as a Mars Electronic Model or a Dixie Narco Upstack Acceptor. To remove the lid, a service person slides a lid through a slot and over an opening on the security box. The lid includes a strike plate for tripping a latch on the housing to release the box. The box may be removed once the latch is tripped, but the lid is retained over the box's open top, preventing access to the cash by service personnel. Unfortunately, the disclosed release mechanism has a similar shortcoming as described above with reference to the McKay patent. First of all, the lock is readily accessible when the device is in operation so that a thief may use force to defeat it. Also the slideway is open so that the release mechanism may be easily tripped by inserting something thin enough to fit through the respective openings which has a strike plate to trip the latch. Once the latch is tripped the security box may be removed. The cash in the removed uncovered security box is freely available to anyone, including thieves.
Each of the above-discussed security boxes are vulnerable to more sophisticated thieves or robbers who might devise counterfeit box covers or lids that can easily and quickly be slid into place. Such counterfeits may be designed to be intentionally weak or have open portions providing access to cash. In fact such an arrangement might be particularly popular with an armed robber because it would allow him an opportunity to rebuff an attempt to place covers or lids offsite so that attendants would not be able to release the security boxes. Of course if the intended cover is available to the attendants, they may be forced to release the box and robbers may simply take the locked box in hopes of breaking into it later. To the owner of the goods, there is little satisfaction in knowing that the box may present a formidable challenge to open once it and its valuables are stolen. Thus, it is a disadvantage of known security boxes, including the ones described above, that they can be quickly stolen.
One solution proposed is simply placing a security box inside of a combination safe, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,036 to Fee et al. However, once the safe is opened the box is readily available. Not providing the combination at the site is effective for preventing theft, but if knowledge of the combination is so restricted that normal management is unduly burdened, then the inconvenience may seriously weaken the benefit. For example, it is common at retail operations to count cash for each cashier and compare this to some accounting record for accurate accounting and to prevent short changes, etc. Thus, it would be an advantage to prevent quick theft without unduly burdening cash management activities.
Other security boxes in the prior art include one described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,977 to Gilovich et al. that includes a self-locking depository container. Feed means drive currency or an envelope containing valuable documents into a portable depositor. The Gilovich device includes a sliding door which is moved into an open position by insertion of the portable depository. The Gilovich device includes many moving parts which may make it uneconomical in terms of manufacturing and maintenance and repairs.
There are other security devices known that work with cash handling apparatus, such as currency validators including U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,746 to Ishigure, which discloses a device which opens and closes a cash container. A shutter opens only when the removable cash box is attached to a cash handling apparatus. Other such devices include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,533,605 to Mays et al. and 5,209,335 to Shuren et al., that provide general background for prior art security boxes that work with currency stacker devices and include means for automatic cover closure when the security box is removed. However, all three are considerably complex, and therefor economically disadvantageous, and none overcome the exposures to thieves and robbers discussed above in reference to the McKay and Roccoberton devices.
Additionally the art is relatively devoid of solutions for safekeeping of valuables other than cash. Most are designed to cooperate with currency validators, and while there is a need for such boxes, it would be an advantage to provide a simple security box that could work with a currency validator, but could also receive cash directly from a cash drawer, or receive other valuables, including, for example, jewelry or valuable papers. It would further be an advancement in the art to provide a simple low cost security box that could work as described above and which was not vulnerable to being easily stolen by thieves or quickly stolen by robbers.